J C's Pub & Ristorante

Like a warp in time, J.C.'s Ristorante is a peek into another era, another time, when restaurants were owned by locals and the staff had been there for years and knew everyone by name.

We walked in for dinner on a Sunday night. The owner greeted us at the door shaking both of our hands and welcoming us back (I have not been there in years so it was either a good guess or he has an incredible memory!) We were seated in the bar area at a booth to watch the end of the Bears game but given the way they played we easily could have sat in the back!

The menu is large covering the gamut of an Italian steakhouse- with steak specials and Italian specialties. Their pizza always gets rave reviews but we both went with a couple of the specials of the day- Prime rib (king cut) for him, and baked chicken with mashed potatoes for me.

We started with a couple of the appetizers- oysters on the half shell (just don't ask them what kind of oysters they are- my server said she had not been asked that question in 18 years!) But if you get the same kind I did on the night you visit- know that they are an east coast variety! We also tried a bowl of their soup which was also quite good.. The huge chunks of soft salted bread that were brought to the table were amazing, and gone in an instant!

When the food came- it was obvious there were going to be leftovers. The king cut of prime rib had to be over a pound of meat and my chicken was a full half of chicken, roasted golden brown and served over mashed potatoes with gravy. Comfort food all the way around!

The interior of the place has the walls covered with pics of the celebrities that have visited over the years- many of them with the owner in the picture. It's not a fancy place- more reminiscent of an Italian steakhouse that might be a prop in a 70's movie but in a good, nostalgic way.

Parking is easy in the big lot and dinner for two with drinks and appetizers came to around $55 which was great given all the food we had. Remember that big menu I talked about:? I asked for a "to go" menu and it was 7 pages long! Chances are you'll find something you like at J.C.'s!

A bit off the beaten path but worth the trip- J.C.'s reminds me of those supper club type places that I remember from when I lived in Wisconsin. A simple place with good food. And that is just fine in my book!